


The Outsider Kid

by timlasm2



Category: Karate Kid (Movies), The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-25 10:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14974982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timlasm2/pseuds/timlasm2
Summary: After the events of 'the Outsiders', The Cades are required to move, and Johnny doesn't expect his life to get any better, even without the burden of being a greaser upon his scarred shoulders. But unexpected surprises are already on the rise, all heralded by a glistening red dirtbike.Ralph swap lmao -Johnny Cade in the Valley, 1983, Daniel Larusso in Tulsa also 1983, idk about his half yet. Post Outsiders AU, everything’s set in 1983/1984. Dally, Ponyboy and Johnny all get out of the fire just deeply scarred but not crippled. Set during Karate Kid.





	1. Trying to Stay Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully I've made it obvious enough so that it's not too offputting, but POV will change each chapter back and forth from the two Johnnys. This first is Johnny Cade's POV.

It was a scorching day in which the Cades finally arrived at the recedes. While being an underaged, underprivileged delinquent hero and only having been charged for manslaughter helped greatly reduce Johnny’s sentence, he was still required to serve two years, and afterwards was placed on parole in a completely new state “to sever ties from bad influences". Johnny thought that was a load of bullshit, knowing damn well that the only reason he hadn’t gone insane was because of the greasers. He tried not to cry, when they had waved him off, and tried not to cry now, as he unloaded the furniture and belongings of the family. He was contemplating whether to try and bring in as much as possible, or as little as possible. Bringing in more would mean his parents wouldn’t have an excuse to lay into him about being lazy and useless. Bringing in as little as possible would mean he’d be too busy for his parents to bother. He sighed, knowing his parents would still find a way to berate him for being a waste of space, and brought in as little as possible. As he walked through the gate of the complex, he brushed by a taller teen, who he exchanged polite small talk with, still moving as he did not want to arouse his parents irritations.

 

“We’re going to have a party down at the beach later tonight, wanna come?” The teen, named Freddy asked politely.

 

“Thanks but I’ll probably have to pass.” He tried to managed a small smile, thinking about he’d be burdened with the responsibility of placing the furniture and belongings around the apartment.

 

“Well if you change your mind, you know where we are.” Freddy called out as he left the complex.

 

Johnny nodded and stared down at the almost barren, algae-riddled pool, his reflection staring back out at him with a sullen expression. He quickly made his way up the stairs and placed the boxes down. As soon as he did, he started downstairs to get the rest, his parents not even noticing as they were too busy screaming each others faces off. Being in Juvenile for two years had made him all the more cautious and anxious, unable to feel comfortable even in his own skin. The guys in Juvie mostly left him alone after they learned of what he’d done, but there were always a few uncaring socs who’d delight in nothing more than being able to give it to a lowly greaser. Johnny looked around at the mostly clean, yet empty and quiet complex in the valley. All his life, he wanted nothing more than to escape the territory-driven hellhole that was Tulsa, but he figured that would be with the whole gang, after Ponyboy had finally come of age. He thought about how they’d probably go on a road trip to the country, since that was what Ponyboy always wanted. Darry, the most patient and careful, would obviously be driving. Two-bit and Sodapop would probably be belting along to something by Elvis, and Ponyboy would be reading, or at least trying to read the rest of “Gone With the Wind” to him, before giving in and singing along with the others. Thinking about this made Johnny shake with sadness, so he pushed it out of his mind and continued bringing the boxes up. Once he had carried in the last box, he kept his eyes down but his ears alert, careful to mask his presence and busied himself by arranging the furniture.

 

“Johnny!” His mother barked at him, and roughly motioned for him to come over. “Your dad has gone off to either start work or drink himself blind. Now I don’t care, but this,” She gestured over the whole place. “Has to be in order, and you’re going to be the one to do it. It’s the least you can do after getting us all in this god-forsaken mess in the first place” she snapped, looking anywhere but her son.

 

He nodded and got to work, being careful to follow his mother’s orders to a T to satisfy her. It was extremely late when he finished, and his hands were covered in blisters from all the rough surfaces he had to move. His muscles and back ached, but made no sign of that as they ate dinner in complete silence. He was aware of the way his mother’s eyes would dart to the door and he found himself imitating that action. As soon as his father returned, he just knew tonight was a bad night. Before he even came through the door, the pungent smell of alcohol and tobacco wafted through. It basically became a race as to whether Johnny or his mother could avoid him first. No such luck for Johnny, as his father glared at him with glassy, not-really-there eyes and grabbed his wrist before he could run off. Johnny could only take so much until his legs gave out and he crumpled onto the laminated floor, skin crawling and hot tears just on the edge of his eyes. As soon as his father loosened his grip, Johnny bolted out the door, chest heaving and almost tripping on the stairs. He blocked out the furious shouts following him. It didn’t matter where he was going, as long as it took him far away from the apartment complex.

 

After running for what seemed like an eternity, he slowed down to a walking pace. He looked up at the black starry sky ahead, dimly remembering those nights when he’d lie with Ponyboy in those vacant lots and stare up. Was he looking at the stars tonight too? Did he ever think to stop and wonder how Johnny was doing? Did the gang still think about him? Still remember him? He clenched his fists, desperately wishing he could just skip to when his parole was over, and when he could finally go back and see them all again. He kept walking around aimlessly, limping a bit from the over exertion of his legs. His skin started to prickle, dimly aware of the sensation of being watched. Without anything to defend himself with, he felt so naked and vulnerable. He heard revving noises and his mind flashed back to when the blue Mustang pulled up, when he was jumped, when all he could feel after a few minutes was cold, hard brass, muscle and bone connecting with different parts of his body, and fear. Fear coursing through his nerves, his blood. Filling his lungs every time he tried to take a shallow breath, just like when he accidentally stabbed Bob, just like when he ran after Ponyboy, right into the burning church. He quickly spun around, seeing a red, polished dirt bike. He forced himself to run but his body, already exhausted from the beating, fell right onto the solid, earthy ground.

 

The rider slowed down and stopped behind him. Johnny glared at them behind his dark bangs, daring them to try anything, even though he knew, in his current condition, he’d be easily beaten. Once the rider removed his helmet, he approached cautiously over to him. He was a tall, well built man, sporting a red leather jacket with snake patches all over it. What struck Johnny was that he had blindingly bright golden hair. As eye-catching as Ponyboy’s dyed hair, but it actually suited the stranger. He then vaguely noticed that he had a small black cloth tied around his head. Even though he was down on the ground, Johnny balled his fists, eyeing the guy up and ready to attack. 


	2. Trying to Be Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny Lawrence's final school year is on the horizon, and he's not sure whether it'll end like his wildest dreams, or his darkest nightmares. His newest encounter further meddles with his guesses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Johnny Lawrence's POV. Will probably remain on his POV for the next chapter as well.

The Cobra Kai group were roaring towards the beach on their prized dirt bikes, wearing their prized leather jackets and bearing their prized insignia, the menacing Cobra, on their backs as their dojo name surrounded the snake. One Cobra Kai in particular, Johnny Lawrence, was the most elated he had been in months. It was almost the start of a new school year, and his last. He was ready to start thinking about his future. He had really thrown himself into his training, determined to make his last valid year at the Under 18’s All Valley tournament his best yet. Kreese had been training him harder too, pushing him, further than he could handle sometimes. But he knew it was all gonna be worth it. Winning that trophy, seeing his mother beaming up at him, Kreese really acknowledging him as his star student, his step-father, Sid, acknowledging him as a son, and Ali Mills.

 

Oh Ali Mills. Ali no longer looking at him with that weird look, instead admiring his brute strength and skill. He could really feel it in his bones, that this year was going to be quite like no other. And he knew the best way to start it would be to try and mend his and Ali’s relationship. So they’d hit rocky, turbulent times. All couples went through that, and if he could get them through this, they would be stronger than ever, he assured himself. They all stopped at the top of the beach. Bobby and Dutch waved down at Freddy and his gang, while Johnny eyed Ali, who was absent mindedly poking a stick in the sand while chatting with Susan. Bobby followed his line of sight and rolled his eyes.

 

“Forget it man, it’s ancient history!” He sighed.

 

“Who told you, man?” Johnny immediately shot back.

 

“Didn’t they break up?” Tommy wondered aloud.

 

“She did, but he didn’t.” Dutch snickered.

 

Johnny was the first to ride down, with the gang following close behind. As soon as they reached the party, Johnny got off the bike and headed towards Ali.

 

“Hey Ali I wanna talk to you.” He knelt down where she was sitting. If he was gonna do one thing tonight, he was gonna get down to the bottom of him and Ali’s strife.

 

“Leave me alone.” She huffed. “We’ve been over this alright, I don’t wanna talk.”

 

She turned away disdainfully. That really got Johnny seeing red. He knelt down and pressed pause on the radio. She glared at him and pressed play.

 

“What is your problem?” Johnny was starting to get real indignant now.

 

“Why don’t you take your little Cobra Kais and get out of here!” She bit back, standing up and taking her radio with her.

 

“Oh yeah and that’s gonna solve everything.” He said sarcastically, snatching the radio from her.

 

“Give me my radio.” “No!” “I said give me my radio!”. He circled around as she tried to take the radio back.

 

“You’ll promise you’ll talk to me?” He pleaded. He really wanted things to work out between them, but god dammit, why did she have to make it so hard?

 

“Yes, just give me my radio!” Ali growled. As soon as he handed it back, she looked him right in the eye and pressed play.

 

Unable to control himself, he tore the radio from her hands and smashed in on the sandy ground.

 

“Did you just break my radio!” Ali was red in the face, and pushed him back with all her might.

 

“You started this you know, all I wanted to do was talk!” He shouted back. Unaware that they had attracted a crowd, Ali’s friends, the Cobra Kais, and Freddy’s gang all surrounded them, unsure of what to do.

 

“Talk my ass!” She yelled in his face. “Why do you have to be so violent all the time! Why do you always have to fight!” By now, she was repeatedly punching and shoving him in the chest. She was almost on the verge of tears, her dark brown eyes glossing over. It hurt Johnny to see her like this, and it hurt him even more to know that he was the reason, but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why.

 

“I love you, I protect you, and you’re just gonna treat me like shit!” He balled his fists, trying to calm himself down.

 

“Oh I’m the one treating you like shit? ‘Protect’ my ass, Johnny! You love fighting over me, not me!”

 

“What-I-”

 

“Half the guys you beat up have no intention of hitting on me! You are so paranoid, and you couldn’t leave well enough alone, you idiot!”

 

“You’re the idiot! You don’t know anything about how guys work, I-“

  
  
“I just don’t know anything do I? Ali Mills, dumb trophy girlfriend that needs constant protection 24/7!” Ali spat out, rolling her eyes.

 

“This is all your fault you know!” He tried to grab her arms and restrain her, calm her down, but his efforts were having the exact opposite effect.

 

“No it’s not, you ever think it’s your fault? Huh?” she screamed, wriggling free and punching him in the right cheek.

 

The crowd collectively gasped. Ali did not hold back, and there was still some ringing in his right ear as he watched her face shift into an extremely pained expression. She whispered “sorry”, then walked off to her friends, some of whom shot Johnny a mean glare. He glared back, as the Cobra Kais warily approached him, unsure of how to react to this development.

 

“Bullshit!” He spat to her retreating back. “Get on your bikes guys, let’s go.” He rubbed at his face, wincing at the physical and emotional pain. They didn’t say a word as they rode off, and Johnny rode over Ali’s radio, relishing in the crunch of metal. It seems like the only way they communicated these days was by fighting. He just couldn’t understand. When they had first got together, everything in Johnny’s life seemed to click. Ali and him would spend hours just walking along the beachside, talking about whatever came to their minds. He still vividly remembers her bright, sweet smiles and how that would always calm him, but now, now he felt so angry all the time, and the constant fighting with Ali was making it worse. The only outlet he had was karate, and so all he could do was channel this negative energy into his kicks and punches. They kept riding around aimlessly, until Bobby brought up that they had school and were gonna head home. Johnny grunted in response, not really caring either way. While his mother knew he was going to be out, Sid probably didn’t give half a shit, so Johnny was just gonna keep riding until he’d let out enough steam.

 

One by one the Cobra Kais parted from the group, each riding off back home, until it was only Johnny left. His head felt a bit clearer, but the thought of Ali, hurt and fuming, still throbbed. He had ridden into the poorer part of the Valley, Reseda and was circling around when he suddenly spotted a lonely, short figure limping on the grass. He decided to follow it out of pure curiosity and boredom. He started going slower, wondering if the person was going to go anywhere in particular. After a few minutes of following him around, he realised that the guy wasn’t going anywhere and decided to head back home, Ali pushed to the back of his mind by this temporary distraction. As he revved up his engine, he noticed the person stop in his tracks, and started shaking. Alarmed, Johnny opted to drive over to the figure. The person started to run, but didn’t get very far as he suddenly keeled over. Johnny immediately stopped the bike, hopped off and removed his helmet, cautiously approaching the figure.


End file.
